Justice Department Moves to Roll Back Gun Regulations Amid Post-Assassination-Attempt Climate

The Justice Department unveiled a package of revisions that would repeal a 2024 Biden-era rule requiring background checks for firearms sold at gun shows and other non-brick-and-mortar venues, rescind a 2023 rule restricting pistol braces, and introduce a new set of regulations. The agency described the changes as the “most comprehensive regulatory reform package” in ATF history.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

President Donald Trump’s February executive order directed the Justice Department to review and eliminate “all infringements on Americans’ Second Amendment rights” and to overturn regulations issued by the Biden administration. The order framed the current rollback as a fulfillment of that mandate, linking it to the recent attempted assassination of Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

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• Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General, presented the revisions and framed them as aligning with Supreme Court precedent.

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• Robert Cekada, confirmed ATF Director, oversaw day-to-day operations and announced the formal rescission of the pistol-brace rule.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, voiced opposition to the rollback.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• Gun-industry leaders publicly supported the DOJ’s approach.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• The DOJ announced 30 specific changes (ABC News) while CNN reported 34 new rules, marking the largest ATF rulemaking effort in the past 15 years combined.

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• The repealed 2024 rule would have expanded background-check requirements to thousands of additional firearms dealers.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• The rescinded pistol-brace rule had previously been struck down in federal court.

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• The new regulations propose a narrower definition of who must be a federally licensed firearms seller.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

Blanche emphasized that the revisions bring ATF regulations “in line with Supreme Court precedent” and reduce “unnecessary burdens on firearms sellers and lawful gun owners.” He added that the changes “do not weaken law enforcement” and reaffirmed that the Second Amendment “will never be treated as a second-class right.” Cekada noted that the new rules aim to make compliance “clear, straightforward” for everyday Americans and to help sellers “more easily abide by the law.”

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Everytown’s John Feinblatt condemned the rollback, calling it a “gut-ting of commonsense gun safety laws” and accusing the administration of “sabotaging the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of criminal hands.” Critics argue the repeal of background-check requirements reopens the so-called “gun-show loophole” and could increase risks to public safety.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• “For too long, regulations were written without any real understanding of how firearms businesses operate, how lawful gun owners handle their firearms, or what truly improves public safety,” — Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• “Four days after the nation watched gunfire break out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Trump administration’s answer is to gut commonsense gun safety laws and sabotage the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of criminal hands,” — John Feinblatt, President, Everytown for Gun Safety

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief

• “We’re repealing rules that went beyond what the law allows,” — Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General

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• “We are cutting unnecessary red tape, and we are replacing confusion with clear, straightforward language so that everyday Americans don’t need a law degree just to understand their rights.” — Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General

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• “ “It’s not possible for us to just unwind” everything in one day, Blanche said.” — Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General

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• “Let me reiterate that the Second Amendment will never be treated as a second-class right in the Trump administration,” — Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General

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ABC News cites 30 changes, whereas CNN reports 34 new rules. The sources do not reconcile this discrepancy, leaving the exact total of proposed regulations unclear.

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The ATF will continue publishing the revised rules, and the changes are likely to face legal challenges from gun-control groups. Congressional oversight may intensify as the Senate monitors the implementation of the Trump executive order and the impact of the rollback on public-safety outcomes.

Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief